Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli

Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli (1835-1910), Italian astronomer, whose work included the linking of meteor showers to comet remnants. Born in Savigliano, he was educated at Turin University and served as director (1862-1900) of the Brera Observatory in Milan. He is best known for his observation of apparently straight lines on the surface of Mars. His word for these markings, canali (Italian, “channels”), was mistranslated as “canals”, strengthening the opinion of some astronomers, such as Percival Lowell, an American, that intelligent life existed on Mars.